• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.453-462
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• 2005

The study deals with surface erosion patterns due to the development of cropland toward hillslope and hilltop in the Oncheon-gun, pyeongbuk province and Nampo city of west coast area in the North Korea, using Quick Bird satellite images with 60cm resolution. In North Korea, for national economic difficult after 1980 year, newly developed croplands have been along the gentle hillslope, in which it is possible for individual man power different from the tideland which needs large scaled man-power and equipment. The new croplands are named Darakbat(terraced farm with embankment) and Bitalbat(titled farm developed on the original hill slope), neighboring with orchard and grouped settlement in lower valley. For supplying agricultural water, irrigation ditches and temporal crop storages have been constructed, connecting Darakbat, Bitalbat and orchard. These cropland developments have caused surface erosion composed of 3 types such as pit, linear and headward erosion, together with rill and gully. Owing to poor management of cropland and irrigation system, topsoil erosion and, collapse and sedimentation of ditch and pool, caused the decrease of agricultural productivity. These analysis using Quick Bird images can suggest original raw data about geographical facts on North Korea agriculture and help to recover their agricultural system and plan future national unified land.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.630-639
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• 2003

This study aims to analysis the distribution and change of cropland and forest, the Onseong, Saebyeol, and Eundeok counties on the lower reach of Duman(Tumen) river, northeast Korea, using 1992 year Landsat TM data, 2000 year Landsat ETM data, and digital terrain elevation data(DTED). Land cover and land use of the study areas are classified into cropland, forest, village, and water body, using the supervised classification method including 1:50,000 DTED analysis, image band composition, and principal component analysis(PCA). Results of quantitative analysis present that each growth rate of cropland of Onseong and Eundeok are 22.8% and 14.7% corresponding to decreasing rates of forest, 8% and 13.6% during 8 years from 1992 to 2000. In Onseong, Saebyeol, and Eundeok, each values of mean elevations and slope gradients increased to 192m, 95m, and 91m from 157m, 85m, and 78m, and to 6.6$^{\circ}$, 3.0$^{\circ}$, and 4.4$^{\circ}$ from 5.2$^{\circ}$, 2.5$^{\circ}$, and 3.0$^{\circ}$. Especially, in case of newly developed cropland, the values of mean elevation and mean gradient have 225m, 122m, and 127m, and 9.4$^{\circ}$, 5.1$^{\circ}$, and 8.0$^{\circ}$, in above three regions. These new croplands were developing along to deeper valleys and toward lower hill and mountain slope up to knickpoint zone of gradient change. Deforested lands for cropland have formed irregular pattern of patch-type, and become sources for the sheet erosion, rilling and gulleying in mountain slope and sedimentation in local river channel. Though there were no field checking, analysis using landsat images and GIS mapping can help understand actual environmental problems relating to cropland development of mountain slope in North Korea.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.373-384
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• 2003

This study analyses the soil loss due to cropland increase in the Hoeryeung area of northeast Korea, using Landsat images of 1987 TM and 2001 ETM, together with DTED, soil and geological maps, and rainfall data of 20 years. Items of land cover and land use were categorized as cropland, settlement, forest, river zone, and sand deposit by supervised classification with spectral bands 1, 2 and 3. RUSLE model is used for estimation of soil loss, and AML language for calculation of soil loss volumes. Fourier transformation method is used for unification of the geographical grids between Landsat images and DTED. GTD was selected from 1:50,000 topographic map. Main sources of soil losses over 100 ton/year may be the river zone and settlement in the both times of 1987 and 2001, but the image of the 2001 shows that sources areas have developed up to the higher mountain slopes. In the cropland average, increases of hight and gradient are 24m and $0.8^{\circ}$ from 1987 to 2001. In the case of new developed cropland, average increases are 75m and $2.5^{\circ}$, and highest soil loss has occurred at the elevation between 300 and 500m. The soil loss 57 ton of 1987 year increased 85 ton of 2001 year. Soil loss is highest in $30{\sim}50^{\circ}$ slope zones in both years, but in 2001 year, soil loss increased under $30^{\circ}$ zones. The size of area over 200 ton/year, indicating higher risk of landslides, have increased from $28.6km^2$ of 1987 year to $48.8km^2$ of 2001 year.